Proceeds from officially licensed products benefit the university

HONOLULU — With the undefeated season of the University of Hawaiʻi Warrior football team, its upcoming New Year‘s Day appearance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and holiday shopping boosting production and sales of University of Hawaiʻi merchandise, the University of Hawaiʻi would like to encourage all fans to purchase officially licensed products. Such purchases support the University of Hawaiʻi as a portion of the proceeds from merchandise produced by licensed vendors comes back to the university.

Any name, mark, logo, insignia, seal, design, word, letters or symbols that have come to be associated with the University of Hawaiʻi qualify as its trademarks. The use of any of the university's trademarks, even when encompassed by creative designs, are subject to licensing, and the commercial use of all the university's trademarks is restricted to official licensees.

The University of Hawaiʻi has received reports of unlicensed products being sold, particularly some that could be considered offensive or inappropriate. These are not university-licensed or approved products, and producers of these products are in violation of federal and state laws.

Unauthorized use of the university‘s trademarks is considered trademark infringement and punishable by law. Any productions or sale of unauthorized products or services is a violation of the federal Lanham Trademark Act of 1946, the federal Trademark Act of 1984, and State of Hawaiʻi trademark counterfeiting and unfair competition laws, among others.

Such violations subject one to liability for damages, injunctive relief, attorney's fees and other penalties, civil and criminal. Infringing merchandise is also subject to seizure.